Beleaguered MI seeks to halt DC’s perfect run

Mumbai Indians’ batter Surya Kumnar Yadav at a training session on the eve of the IPL match against Mumbai Indians in New Delhi.
| Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

Soon after K.L. Rahul smashed the winning runs and finished unbeaten on 93 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday, he rejoiced with an atypically animated celebration. He took off his helmet, drew an imaginary circle with his bat adjacent to the playing surface and uttered the words: “This is my ground.” It was an emphatic statement by the 32-year-old from Karnataka.

Just as emphatic has been Delhi Capitals’ beginning to IPL’s 18th season. It has registered four wins out of four to start the campaign, thanks to different players producing the goods at different junctures. While Rahul has shone with his class and composure with the bat, Mitchell Starc and Kuldeep Yadav are major wicket-taking threats at DC’s disposal.

Mumbai Indians, which will go up against the Axar Patel-led Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday provided rain doesn’t play spoilsport, hasn’t had its players stepping up in similar fashion so far. It is thus languishing in the lower half of the table with just one win in five matches.

That isn’t to say that there cannot be a change of fortunes in Sunday’s high-voltage contest. Particularly with Jasprit Bumrah returning to action in MI’s previous game against RCB following a three-month layoff due to a back injury, there is reason for skipper Hardik Pandya to believe that the tide can turn.

The pace supremo showed no signs of rustiness in his comeback outing, conceding just 29 runs in his four overs in a high-scoring duel where all his teammates had economy rates of 10 or more per over.